~I can't hold onto me~

~*LAST TIME*~

No one would ever find out that Hermione, Brains of the golden trio, was for the lack of better word -dating- mass murder The Joker. To bad for Hermione, she did not take into account just how well her friends knew her.

-NOW-

Ron and Harry had been watching Hermione closely ever since the day she had boarded the train to come back this year. Unfortunately, they knew they were not watching closely enough. They may have apologized to Hermione their first night back but that did not mean they were not suspicious of her.

On the contrary, they were even more suspicious when Hermione's mother contacted them that summer about her strange new behavior. When around them she acted like the sweet kind know-it-all that they love. However, other times, usually after she had run off for several hours, she would be dark, mean, and sometimes cruel. Like something, evil had come and taken control of her body.

They knew exactly what that something was too. Even though they could not prove, it wasn't Voldemort death eaters, in their opinion it was something worse, far worse. It was love. Her love for a violent, mad, psychotic killer.

"What are we going to do Harry? At this rate we're going to lose Hermione forever." Harry sighed, "I know Ron. We've got to do something." "I don't see why we just can't go to Dumbledore." "For the hundredth time Ron we don't have any proof that she's seeing him. And with her perfect track record he won't believe us."

Ron growled and punched his pillow. "Yea and while we sit here doing nothing he's turning our Hermione into a cold blooded killer," "if we could just get some sort of proof." Suddenly it was as if a light bulb went off in Harry's head. "I got it!" Ron looked at him expectantly "what?" "The letters." "Letters?" "Hermione exchanges letters constantly with someone and it has to be more than just her parents." "And that someone has to be the Joker!" Ron said finishing Harry's thought. Harry grinned "exactly" "but wait," Ron said. "Even if she is exchanging notes with him she'd have hidden the letters really well. And boys can't get into the girls dormitories." "Then we'll have to ask a girl to search for the letters for us." "And who would actually do that?" "Ginny of course." Harry replied smiling like the cat that got the cream.

"No, absolutely not." "C'mon Ginny!" Ron said nearly whining. "No." "Ginny she could be dating a murder!" Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh, please Harry. Unlike you I don't believe the trash the prophet writes." "But haven't you noticed Hermione's strange behavior lately? How one day she seems normal then another like a completely different person?" Ginny pursed her lips not wanting to believe what the two were saying.

"C'mon Ginny. If she were in trouble, wouldn't you want to help her? And if she's not then it won't hurt anything and you'll be able to gloat about how wrong we were." Ron said. "But it's a huge invasion of privacy and if Hermione finds out she'll never forgive me." Harry spoke up this time "look at it this way though Ginny. If Hermione is by some chance, dating that man wouldn't you want to know? As a concerned friend?" "And if she is dating him he could be brainwashing her. Making her do things she normally wouldn't do and not even caring that she's doing them." Ron said near frantic this time.

Ginny was their only way of getting these letters. They had to get her to agree. Ginny bit her lip. They were right. Hermione had been acting different lately but that could be for any reason. Hermione was one of her best friends and she did not want to betray her trust. 'Maybe I can try talking to her first. She might tell me something that she would not tell the boys'

"Let me talk to her first." "Ginny!" they both whined "Oh, don't 'Ginny' me!" she said sounding like her mother. "Look if Hermione is dating someone she might tell me but not you. There is a chance your both wrong you know. And if I feel, she is hiding something then I will go ahead and look for the letters. Fair enough?"

Ron and Harry both looked at each other. They knew this was as good as they would get for now so they agreed. "Good. I'll let you know what I find out." It was late, but not to late. Only around 11 o'clock or so, just late enough for Ginny to be sure everyone else was asleep before she snuck out of her dorm. Student dorms are not only by sex but also by year. Therefore, Ginny had to travel to the seventh year dormitories from her own.

She had been to Hermione's dorm before so she had no trouble finding it. She snuck over to Hermione's bed and gently pulled back the curtains. "Hermione?" "Yes Ginny?" "Are you awake?" "Would I have said 'yes Ginny' if I were sleeping?" she asked her voice laced with amusement. "I supposed not," Ginny, said crawling onto Hermione's bed and shutting the curtains. Hermione scooted over to make room for Ginny who crawled under the covers next to her.

"Can I ask you a question 'mione?" "You just did but I supposed you could ask another." Ginny smacked her playfully. "Are you dating anyone?" Hermione rolled over to face her bedmate "Where did that come from all of a sudden?" "It's just that you been acting so differently lately. Im not the only one that's noticed you know." Hermione tensed but thankfully, the darkness hid everything from Ginny's sight. "You've been day dreaming more, you've been smiling a lot more too, and you've been sneaking off only to turn up hours later and no explanation as to where you've been."

"I am allowed to have some privacy gin. People don't have to know what I do every minute of everyday you know." "I know. Im just curious." the two were quiet for a few moments before Ginny spoke up again. "So is he hot?" Hermione tried to suppress her laughter but failed as she and Ginny started giggling.

The two conversed well into the early morning before both finally drifted off to sleep. Ginny never once forgot that Hermione had evaded her questions about whether or not she was dating someone. So loath as she was to do it she would keep her promise to the boys and snoop around for Hermione's letters during her free period tomorrow.

The next afternoon found Ginny true to her word. She was now in the empty seventh year dorm. Snooping through Hermione's things. She was not worried about someone catching her as all the seventh years were either in class or outside enjoying their freedom. 'Much like what I should be doing' she thought sourly as she began to dig through Hermione's trunk.

Finding nothing in there she let the lid close with at 'thud' that echoed in the empty room. She looked around for a moment before deciding to check the nightstand next. Opening the drawer first, she pushed aside all the useless junk and was about to close it when something caught her eye. She looked confused for a moment before pulling the whole drawer out completely. She turned it upside down over the bed and emptied out its contents. She then set it down on her lap and carefully inspected the inside. A crack, or line, that was not supposed to be there appeared.

She rapped it with her knuckles on the inside and outside of the drawer. It sounded hallow. Curious she used her fingernails to see if she could pry the bottom of the drawer out. After a few seconds of trying, the bottom released and came out. 'Jack pot' she thought with a smile when she saw the letters the false bottom had kept hidden.

She grabbed one of the letters and began to read it. Then another, and another, and another. Each letter left a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had hoped her brother had been wrong. 'But he's not.' she thought to herself 'these letters prove he's not. Oh Hermione how could you.' the sound of someone coming up the stairs startled Ginny out of her thoughts. Snapping quickly into action she stuffed the letters into her school robes and used magic to put everything back into place before hiding.

She sighed in relief when she saw it was only the patail twins coming in and not Hermione. When the twins only grabbed something and left Ginny waited an extra moment before stepped out of hiding to make sure it was safe. She then left the dorm with only one thought in mind. 'Gotta find Ron!'

"Ron! Ron!" Ginny yelled running across the lawn when she saw her brother. Ron looked at her in concern. "What's the matter?" Ginny was bent over resting her hands on her knees as she attempted to catch her breath. She righted herself and looked around. "Where's Harry?" "Still in DADA receiving an 'I can't believe how great you are' lecture from the professor." Ginny and Ron both rolled their eyes. 'Leave it to Dumbledore to higher a fan boy. They both thought. "Poor Harry" they spoke in unison.

"Anyways why'd you come running?" "Right! I talked to Hermione last night like I said I would and she didn't deny that she was dating someone but she also refused to answer any direct questions about him." "Well no surprise there." Ginny glared at him with a look that said 'shut up' "so like a said I went looking through her stuff and found these." she said pulling the letters out and handing them over to Ron.

Ron snatched them out of her hands and read over every single letter. Rage, jealously, hurt, and betrayal all filled up inside of him with each letter that he read until finally it boiled over. His emotions must have shown on his face because Ginny was looking at him with fear and concern. "Ron, are you okay?" "No, no im not okay!" he snapped at her. She flinched and said, "Don't do anything stupid Ron!" Ron due to his lack of control over his emotions was quickly overwhelmed by them.

He wanted to be in control. He wanted to think things through so that he would not loose Hermione. However, confronted with such undeniable evidence, Ginny's words, and the images of joker and Hermione together that filled his mind he was unable to. "I have to go Ginny." "Ron! Wait!" he ignored her as he stormed off in search of Hermione.

EDIT:

8.30.2010

1810 words

Grammar and spelling corrected.